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Instead of Bouquets, Bridesmaids Hold Rescue Puppies for Wedding

When bride Sarah Mallouk Crain made plans for her special day, she decided to ditch the traditional bridesmaid’s bouquet for something more meaningful: adorable puppies.

Crain works at Pitties Love Peace, a Pennsylvania rescue organization. She, along with her then-fiancé Matt Crain, often had a foster dog (or two) in their home, while the pup waited for his forever home. So the animal lovers — they also have three rescue dogs of their own — thought it was a great idea to include some four-legged friends in the wedding ceremony.

“My days are spent rescuing, training or rehabilitating dogs, so it only seemed fitting that I needed to include some on our big day,” Crain tells This Dog’s Life.

Image Credit: Caroline Logan

They decided the bridesmaid would hold puppies instead of traditional bouquets for the wedding portraits.

“The bridal party loved it! From the minute the puppies came bounding around the corner exploring their new surroundings, the bridesmaids were gushing about how cute they were,” the wedding photographer Caroline Logan told us.”It was a dream for everyone.”

Image Credit: Caroline Logan

The pups named after First Ladies — Martha, Abigail, Dolley, Elizabeth and Louisa — are boxer-coonhound mixes rescued when they were just under a week old. Now at 8-weeks-old, they made the perfect addition to the wedding party.

“Having the puppies involved in the wedding brought so much additional joy to Matt and Sarah’s day!” Logan says. “The puppies of course caused the photos to be extra natural, candid, and carefree – exactly what I strive for in my work. The wedding party was loving all the puppy snuggles.”

The bride chose a special pup to hold: 9-week-old Biggie Smalls, a pit bull mix rescued from New York City. “It was very important to me that I held the pit bull since that is primarily what our rescue focuses on saving,” says Crain. “We have saved so many breeds, from beagles to mastiffs, but we try to save as many pit bulls as possible.”

The women weren’t the only ones that got to hold adorable dogs: the grooms party also got in on the fun.